Like they did with Evander Kane, the Edmonton Oilers are reportedly one of only a handful of teams believed to have an interest in giving a second chance to a player that has a checkered past outside the league. Reports have surfaced that the Oilers, along with potentially three or four other teams are “willing” to give Jake Virtanen another chance in the NHL.
Reports are out there that Edmonton has expressed interest in free agent forward Jake Virtanen. Obviously, with the team’s cap situation, the deal would have to be at the league minimum (or close to it) and it might likely be a simple PTO offer, but the report comes from Vancouver Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, who said on his show that the Oilers are in talking to his representatives. Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer also recently brought up Virtanen’s name as a player Edmonton might be thinking about taking a calculated risk with.
Dhaliwal noted, “All I was told was there’s a rumor about the Oilers, I do believe the Oilers are one of the teams in the mix.” He noted that he’d heard about four or five teams could be in the running.
Virtanen was cleared of sexual assault charges this season and is looking to make his NHL comeback. He was not in the league last season as he played for Spartak Moskva in the KHL. He scored nine goals and 16 points in 36 games. Some are suggesting that he could be a great fit among some really skilled forwards on the Oilers, and when his size and speed are factored in, could he be a 20-plus goal guy? Perhaps the Oilers are willing to find out if the price is right but his numbers in the KHL don’t jump off the page.
That he was found not guilty likely won’t stop some teams from excluding him as a potential option. For Virtanen, he’s likely looking for a scenario where he can come in and show well on a one-year deal and up the demand for his services next summer.
Is the Deal to Edmonton Close?
Dhaliwal updated the news on Virtanen to Edmonton and said that he was being messaged by tons of people asking if the rumors that the deal was done were true. All he would say was that he hadn’t heard a deal was finalized, but that it could be Edmonton.
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